When Russia invaded Ukraine more than two years ago, the United States slapped sanctions on Moscow.
According to court documents, Haimovich owned an international freight forwarding company, Control Towers Tel Aviv, which was affiliated with a group of companies that did business in several countries, including the United States and Israel. For example, between April 2022 and April 2023, Haimovich arranged for more than 160 shipments of aircraft parts to companies in the Maldives and United Arab Emirates that in turn sent the illicit supplies to Russia.
Authorities say this is how his scheme unfolded:
A co-conspirator sent an email to Haimovich in late July 2022, directing him to “arrange transportation to Moscow” of an aircraft part called an “air data module,” a sensor that assists an airplane pilot’s navigation. The air data module was restricted by the Commerce Department for “anti-terrorism” reasons, requiring a license for export to Russia.
The following month, Haimovich instructed a co-conspirator to inform the US vendor that the air data module would be shipped to a company in the Maldives. That August, Haimovich arranged for the part to be sent to its actual destination, Moscow, according to a charging document filed by prosecutors with the US Attorney’s Office.
As part of his plea agreement, Haimovich acknowledged that between March 2022 and May 2023, he billed Siberia Airlines, doing business as S7 Airlines, and other Russian aviation customers more than $2 million for illegally shipping aircraft parts to Moscow.
